I haven't posted on here in a while, but I have encountered a dilemma that I'm not so sure how to manage.

Recently, every time I get into a deep vibrational state (during WILD) and feel my mind begin to (what I assume) enter the dreamstate, I feel I am forced to hold my breath. My breathing becomes shallow and weak until it stops entirely. Then I panic a bit, which is an unconscious reaction of course. My chest becomes heavy and I usually end the vibrations and sleep paralysis so that I can breath again.

It is my understanding that this sensation is no more than an illusion, that sleep paralysis is convincing me that I am not breathing when in fact I am. Is this correct, on any level? Does anyone have any thoughts on how to handle this? So far I just decided to ignore the sensation and continue, even if it means I pass out, seeing as once I pass out I would definitely start breathing again, as that is bodily instinct.

Thing is you want to "pass out", well in a way one could say as you need to go to sleep, you may loose waking consciousness extremely briefly during this "pass out" thing you in your case need to experience as its what you are creating. The feeling of passing out is only the feeling of the physical body detaching from your waking mind.

Recently, every time I get into a deep vibrational state (during WILD) and feel my mind begin to (what I assume) enter the dreamstate, I feel I am forced to hold my breath. My breathing becomes shallow and weak until it stops entirely. Then I panic a bit, which is an unconscious reaction of course.

You are just feeling the disconnection from your "physical" breathing as your consciousness disconnects from it. Its illusionary... just like you dont stop breathing when asleep. Instead of fearing the breath becoming weak and shallow like or even of it stopping, welcome it as its sign you are detaching consciously from your physical body. Your dream self doesnt need to feel breathing! but its like you are wanting and trying to get it to.

Anyway.. allow yourself to "pass out" and you probably will then instantly find yourself in a LD. I know it's very unpleasant feelings some of us need to go throu to enter the states we want (in my case I really hate the sensation of falling which I can get right before a OBE).. but with time you will let go of the idea and fear that you are going to actually stop breathing.

Maybe try to visualise you are wearing an oxygen tank and mask, next time you experience this breathing thing as it may help you transition to the LD state much smoother.

Hey thanks you confirmed everything that I was thinking, but was unsure of.

It's a terrifying and wrong feeling, submitting to suffocation lol but I know its illusionary, as you said. I will just try to relax and imagine myself breathing fresh air in the dream to push the fear aside.

This has never happened to me before, but then again, I never even thought about it before.

If I was thinking about my breathing I would get concerned just like you and it would become an issue.

But it is hard to tell yourself to not think about it, because the very act of telling yourself, makes you think about it! So I guess what you should do is focus more on what you see, feel, hear during that until it becomes your reality and then 'pop' your in a lucid dream world. That is my experience.

And then just trust that your body will continue breathing automatically. I too sometimes wonder, when I am in a deep lucid dream world, whether my body is ok or not and I look at the sky and wonder how it's doing without 'me being there'. But it has worked out fine in the end and you just have to trust it.

HAGART wrote:This has never happened to me before, but then again, I never even thought about it before.

If I was thinking about my breathing I would get concerned just like you and it would become an issue.

But it is hard to tell yourself to not think about it, because the very act of telling yourself, makes you think about it! So I guess what you should do is focus more on what you see, feel, hear during that until it becomes your reality and then 'pop' your in a lucid dream world. That is my experience.

And then just trust that your body will continue breathing automatically. I too sometimes wonder, when I am in a deep lucid dream world, whether my body is ok or not and I look at the sky and wonder how it's doing without 'me being there'. But it has worked out fine in the end and you just have to trust it.

Yeah I was thinking about that too, that maybe I focus on my breathing a bit too much and that's why it becomes an issue. I have been playing with it though, we'll see how it goes